1 Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected. Rankings based on 2005 figures CIA World Factbook - Togo
² Rankings based on 2005 figures (source unknown)

Togo (officially the Togolese Republic) is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately 57,000 square kilometres (22,000 sq mi) with a population of approximately 6.7 million.

Togo is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with a climate that provides good growing seasons. The official language is French; however, there are many other languages spoken in Togo. Approximately one half of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.[4]

Togo gained its independence from France in 1960.[5] In 1967, Gnassingbé Eyadéma led a successful military coup, after which he became president. At the time of his death in 2005, Eyadéma was the longest-serving leader in modern African history, after having been president for 38 years.[6] In 2005, his son Faure Gnassingbé was elected president.

When the slave trade began in the 16th century, the Mina were the most serious of victims. For the next two hundred years, the coastal region was a major raiding centre for Europeans in search of slaves, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast".

Independence came in 1960 under Sylvanus Olympio. He was assassinated in a military coup on 13 January 1963 by a group of soldiers under the direction of Sergeant Etienne Eyadema Gnassingbe. Opposition leader Nicolas Grunitzky was appointed president by the "Insurrection Committee", headed by Emmanuel Bodjollé. However, on 13 January 1967, Eyadema Gnassingbe overthrew Grunitzky in a bloodless coup and assumed the presidency, which he held from that date until his sudden death on 5 February 2005. Eyadema Gnassingbe died in early 2005 after 38 years in power, as Africa's longest-sitting dictator. The military's immediate but short-lived installation of his son, Faure Gnassingbé, as president provoked widespread international condemnation, except from France. However, some democratically elected African leaders such as Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, supported that move, thereby creating a rift within the African Union. Faure Gnassingbé stood down and called elections which he won two months later. The opposition claimed that the election was fraudulent. The developments of 2005 led to renewed questions about a commitment to democracy made by Togo in 2004 in a bid to normalise ties with the European Union, which cut off aid in 1993 over the country's human rights record.[citation needed] Moreover, up to 400 people were killed in the political violence surrounding the presidential poll, according to the United Nations. Around 40,000 Togolese fled to neighbouring countries.

Economy

Togo's small sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Cotton, coffee and cocoa together generate about 40% of export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in basic food goods when harvests are normal, with occasional regional supply difficulties. In the industrial sector, phosphate mining is no longer the most important activity, as cement and clinker export to neighbouring countries have taken over. It has suffered from the collapse of world phosphate prices, increased foreign competition and financial problems. Togo's GNI per capita is US$380 (World Bank, 2005).

Phosphate mining by SNPT company.

Togo serves as a regional commercial and trade centre. The government's decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, to implement economic reform measures, encourage foreign investment, and bring revenues in line with expenditures, has stalled. Political unrest, including private and public sector strikes throughout 1992 and 1993, jeopardized the reform program, shrank the tax base, and disrupted vital economic activity. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of the currency by 50% provided an important impetus to renewed structural adjustment; these efforts were facilitated by the end of strife in 1994 and a return to overt political calm. Progress depends on increased openness in government financial operations (to accommodate increased social service outlays) and possible downsizing of the armed forces, on which the regime has depended to stay in place. Lack of aid, along with depressed cocoa prices, generated a 1% fall in GDP in 1998, with growth resuming in 1999. Assuming no deterioration of the political atmosphere, growth is expected to rise.[citation needed]

In the north the land is characterized by a gently rolling savanna in contrast to the center of the country, which is characterized by hills. The south of Togo is characterized by a savanna and woodland plateau which reaches to a coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes. The land size is 21,925 sq mi (56,785 km2), with an average population density of 253 people per square mile (98/km²). In 1914 it changed from Togoland to Togo.

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Climate

The climate is generally tropical with average temperatures ranging from 27.5°C on the coast to about 30°C in the northernmost regions, with a dry climate and characteristics of a tropical savanna. To the south there are two seasons of rain (the first between April and July and the second between (September and November), even though the average rainfall is not very high.

Demographics

With an estimated population of 6,619,000 (as of 2009), Togo is the 107th largest country by population. Most of the population (65%) live in rural villages dedicated to agriculture or pastures. The population of Togo shows a strong growth: from 1961 (the year after independence) to 2003 it quintupled.

Ethnic groups

In Togo, there are about 40 different ethnic groups, the most numerous of which are the Ewe in the south (46%) (Although along the south coastline they account for 21% of the population), Kotokoli and Tchamba in the center, Kabyé in the north (22%). Another classification lists Uaci or Ouatchis (14%) as a separate ethnic group from the Ewe which brings the proportion of Ewe down to (32%). However, there are no historic or ethnic facts that justify the separation between Ewes and Ouatchis. On the contrary, the term Ouatchi relates to a subgroup of Ewes which migrated south during the 16th century from Notse the ancient Ewe Kingdom capital. This classification is inaccurate and has been contested for being politically biased; Mina, Mossi, and Aja (about 8%) are the remainder; and under 1% are European expatriates who live in Togo as diplomats and for economic reasons. The Ouatchis are a sub-group of the Ewe just as the Anlo in the Republic of Ghana are a subgroup of the Ewe ethnic group.

Religion

Approximately 29% of the population is Christian, 20% are Muslim, and 51% have indigenous beliefs.[8]

Health

Health expenditure was at US$ 63 (PPP) per capita in 2004.[9]Infant mortality was at 78 per 1,000 live births in 2005.[9] Male life expectancy at birth was at 56 in 2005, whereas it was at 59.6 for females.[9] There were 4 physicians per 100,000 people in the early 2000s.[9]

Politics

Togo's transition to democracy is stalled. Its democratic institutions remain nascent and fragile. President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who ruled Togo under a one-party system for nearly twenty-five of his thirty-seven years in power, died of a heart attack on 5 February 2005. Gravelly ill, he was being transported by plane to a foreign country for care but could not make it. He died over Tunisia. Under the Togolese Constitution, the President of the Parliament, Fambaré Ouattara Natchaba, should have become President of the country, pending a new presidential election to be called within sixty days. Natchaba was out of the country, returning on an Air France plane from Paris. The Togolese army, known as Forces Armées Togolaises (FAT) - [or Togolese Armed Forces] closed the nation's borders, forcing the plane to land in nearby Benin. With an engineered power vacuum, the army announced that Eyadéma's son Faure Gnassingbé, who had been the communications minister, would succeed him. However, on 6 February 2005, the Parliament retroactively changed the Constitution, declaring that Faure would hold office for the rest of his father's term, with elections deferred until 2008. The stated justification was that Natchaba was out of the country.[10] The parliament also moved to remove Natchaba as president [11] and replaced him with Faure Gnassingbé, who was sworn in on 7 February 2005, despite international criticism of the succession.[12]

The African Union described the takeover as a military coup d'état.[13] International pressure came also from the United Nations. Within Togo, opposition to the takeover culminated in riots in which several hundred died. There were uprisings in many cities and towns, mainly located in the southern part of the country. In the town of Aného reports of a general civilian uprising followed by a large scale massacre by government troops went largely unreported. In response, Faure Gnassingbé agreed to hold elections and on 25 February, Gnassingbé resigned as president, but soon afterward accepted the nomination to run for the office in April. On 24 April 2005, Gnassingbé was elected President of Togo, receiving over 60% of the vote according to official results. His main rival in the race had been Robert (Bob) Akitani from the Union des Forces du Changement (UFC) [or Union of Forces for Change]. However electoral fraud was suspected, due to a lack of European Union or other independent oversight.[citation needed] Parliament designated Deputy President, Bonfoh Abbass, as interim president until the inauguration.[14]

Current political situation

On 3 May 2005, Faure Gnassingbé was sworn in as the new president, garnering 60% of the vote according to official results. The opposition again alleged electoral fraud, claiming the military stole ballot boxes from various polling stations in the south, and that telecommunications shutdowns were deliberately imposed to affect the results.[15] The European Union suspended aid to Togo in support of the opposition claims, unlike the African Union and the United States which declared the vote "reasonably fair." The Nigerian president and Chair of the AU, Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ, sought to negotiate between the incumbent government and the opposition to establish a coalition government, but rejected an AU Commission appointment of former Zambian president, Kenneth Kaunda, as special AU envoy to Togo.[16][17] In June, President Gnassingbé named opposition leader Edem Kodjo as the prime Minister.

In October 2007, after several postponements, elections were held under proportional representation. This allowed the less populated north to seat as many MPs as the more populated south. The president-backed party Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) won outright majority with the UFC coming second and the other parties claiming inconsequential representation. Again vote rigging accusations were leveled at the RPT supported by the civil and military security apparatus. Despite the presence of an EU observer mission, cancelled ballots and illegal voting took place, the majority of which in RPT strongholds. The election was declared fair by the international community and praised as a model with little intimidation and few violent acts for the first time since a multiparty system was reinstated. On 3 December 2007 Komlan Mally of the RPT was appointed to prime minister succeeding Agboyibor. However, on 5 September 2008, after only 10 months in office, Mally resigned as prime minister of Togo.

However, the presidential election of 2010 presents a different challenge with no proportional representation effect to balance for geographic location. The executive power is mainly presidential and this showdown fallout will really determine how far the country has come in terms of democratic rules.

Despite the influences of Christianity and Islam, over half of the people of Togo follow native animistic practices and beliefs.

Ewe statuary is characterized by its famous statuettes which illustrate the worship of the ibeji. Sculptures and hunting trophies were used rather than the more ubiquitous African masks. The wood-carvers of Kloto are famous for their "chains of marriage": two characters are connected by rings drawn from only one piece of wood.

The dyed fabric batiks of the artisanal center of Kloto represent stylized and coloured scenes of ancient everyday life. The loincloths used in the ceremonies of the weavers of Assahoun are famous. Works of the painter Sokey Edorh are inspired by the immense arid extents, swept by the harmattan, and where the laterite keeps the prints of the men and the animals. The plastics technician Paul Ahyi is internationally recognized today. He practices the "zota", a kind of pyroengraving, and his monumental achievements decorate Lomé.

Education

Education in Togo is compulsory for six years.[18] In 1996, the gross primary enrollment rate was 119.6 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 81.3 percent.[18] The education system has suffered from teacher shortages, lower educational quality in rural areas, and high repetition and dropout rates.[18]

Although Togo's qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany was historic, its participation was marred by incidents and headlines. There were internal problems within the Togolese Football Association (Fédération Togolaise de Football - FTF) as well as between players and the Football Association. The culmination of that conflict led to the resignation of the national team coach, Otto Pfister, and the threat made by the players not to play their game against Switzerland on 16 June 2006. Ultimately, the FIFA stepped in to satisfy the players' requirements and the first boycott of a FIFA World Cup game never happened.

Until his dismissal from the team over a long-standing bonus dispute,[19] Adebayor was largely considered the side's star player. He currently plays for English Premiership club Manchester City. Togo was knocked out of the tournament in the group stage after losing to South Korea, Switzerland and France.

Togo's 2006 World Cup appearance was marred by a dispute over financial bonuses, a situation that almost led to the team boycotting their match against Switzerland. Eventually, Togo did fulfill all three fixtures, failing to qualify for the second round of the competition. Over the following months, the stalemate has continued to mar Togolese football, and eventually resulted in the dismissal of strike pair Emmanuel Adebayor and Kader Coubadja-Touré, and defender Nibombé Daré in March 2007, ostensibly for "indecent remarks concerning the FTF management."[20]

After their outings as World Cup underdogs, Togo gained support throughout the world. For example, Togo has a "Supporters Club" in Levenmouth in Scotland, whilst the Newry Togo Supporters Club has its own bar as a venue in Newry, Northern Ireland.

On 12 August 2008, Benjamin Boukpeti (born to a Togolese father and a French mother) won a bronze medal in the Men's K1 Kayak Slalom, the first medal ever won by a member of the Togolese team at the Olympics.

On the 8th January 2010, The Togo National Football team's bus was fired upon in Angola whilst attending the African Nations Cup being held there. The bus driver, assistant coach and team spokesman died, and two players were also injured. This led to Togo withdrawing from the tournament at the behest of the Togolese government.

Togo is a narrow country in West Africa, sandwiched
between Ghana on the west and Benin on the east, with a small
border with Burkina
Faso to the north, and a 56km coastline on the Atlantic Ocean
to the south.

In an 1884 treaty signed at Togoville, Germany declared a
protectorate over a stretch of territory along the coast and
gradually extended its control inland. This became the German
colony Togoland in 1905. After the German defeat during World War I
in August 1914 at the hands of British troops (coming from the Gold
Coast) and the French troops (coming from Dahomey), Togoland became
two League of Nations mandates, administered by the United Kingdom
and France. After World War II, these mandates became UN Trust
Territories. The residents of British Togoland voted to join the
Gold Coast as part of the new independent nation of Ghana, and
French Togoland became an autonomous republic within the French
Union. Togo (officially the Togolese Republic) is a country in West
Africa bordering Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina
Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which
the capital Lomé is located. The official language is French;
however, there are many other languages spoken in Togo.

Togo's size is just less than 57,000 square kilometres (22,000
sq mi). It has a population of more than 6,600,000 people, which is
dependent mainly on agriculture. The mild weather makes for good
growing seasons. Togo is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation.

Togo gained its independence from France in 1960. In 1967,
Gnassingbé Eyadéma, the former leader of the country, led a
successful military coup, after which he became President. Eyadéma
was the longest-serving leader in African history (after being
president for 38 years) at the time of his death in 2005.[4] In
2005, his son Faure Gnassingbé was elected president. About a third
of the population live below the international poverty line of
US$1.25 a day.[5]

Climate

The climate is generally tropical with average temperatures
ranging from 27°C on the coast to about 30°C in the northernmost
regions, with a dry climate and characteristics of a tropical
savanna. To the south there are two seasons of rain (the first
between April and July and the second between October and
November).

Landscape

Get in

A week long visa will cost you 10 000 CFA at the border. An
extension costs 30 000 for a month.

By plane

Several airlines offer regular flights to Lome. But flying
directly to Togo is often more expensive than flying to Accra in neighboring Ghana. Comfortable,
air-conditioned, and reasonably priced buses leave Accra for the
border at Aflao. At Aflao, travellers must walk across the border
into Lome and find their own transport inside Togo.

By train

The train service in Togo is no longer available.

By car

There are bush taxis everywhere. These are basically four door
cars, with four people in the back, and two sharing the front. From
either Accra or Benin you can take bush taxis from $5 to Lomé. From
there, you can take them out to more rural areas. You can also
offer to pay for the entire car, so that you're not cramped. For
this, calculate the price of six people, and then bargain down from
there. The Trans-West African Coastal Highway crosses Togo,
connecting it to Benin and Nigeria to the east, and Ghana and Côte
d'Ivoire to the west. When construction in Liberia and Sierra Leone
is finished, the highway will continue west to 7 other ECOWAS
nations. A paved highway also connects Togo northwards to Burkina
Faso and from there north-west to Mali and north-east to Niger.

By bus

There are overland buses which go to northern Togo and Burkina
Faso, Ghana and Benin.

Get around

A taxi-moto (motorcycle taxi) will cost 150-500 CFA to get you
around. You can tell who the taxi-moto drivers are--they will honk
or hiss at you as they drive by and usually wear baseball caps and
sunglasses. A cab will usually cost about 500CFA for a one-way
short trip inside the city, for trips to the northern parts of the
city expect to pay up to 2500 CFA. Taxis will have yellow license
plates and their registration number painted on the car. Always
negotiate before you get on/in, the quoted price will include tip!
Sometimes when you are on a side street, it might be helpful if you
ask a security guard to wave down a cab for you. Tipping at around
300 to 600 CFA is expected.

Do

Sports, especially football, are the main entertaining activity
in Togo. You can watch the football (soccer) league games played in
the weekends (check listings). Apart from football, there are
several night clubs that can keep you awake at night, and the
capital is full of them; the Chess BSBG is among the most popular.
TV programs are not the best in the world, with movies and sitcoms
that have been played for years. Plus, the beach offers another
type of fun. Many activities and parties are organized there, with
people coming from all over Lome to enjoy the beautiful weather in
the weekends. Despite those great things at the beach, you really
have to choose a good spot, to avoid stepping or sitting on the
unwanted.

Buy

There are of course, Yovo (white person) surcharges, but prices
can be and should be negotiated. The general rule of thumb is that
when you haggle, start with a quarter or a third of the original
asking price, you will usually meet at 50%. Be consistent! I have
found that this does not necessarily apply to food purchases at the
fruits and vegetable stands. Ask around how much you would expect
to pay for a mango, an avacado or a pineapple.

Costs

A liter of gasoline will cost you around 600 CFA, a liter of
water around 300 CFA. A baguette is around 175 CFA and half a pound
of local coffee will cost 1200 CFA. A beer in the supermarket will
cost your around 350 CFA, at an expat restaurant this will be
around 1000 CFA. A coca-cola will cost you between 200 and 400 CFA
in the supermarket. "Western food", mostly imported from France,
can be found in supermarkets but is more pricey than in Europe.

Eat

Akume is a made from corn flower. The "national" dish of
West-Africa is Fufu, in Togo it consists of white yams pounded into
a doughy consistency. You will find plent of Fufu Restaurants in
the cities as well as roadside stands. Akume and Fufu is usually
eaten with your hands and come with different sauces (From smoked
fish to spicy tomato to peanut). Plantaines can also be found in
various forms; grilled, cooked, mashed or fried. In the season,
Mangos, Papayas, and Pineapples are for sale everywhere.

Drink

Lemonade and Bissap juice are the most popular drinks. Plus,
there are many bars almost around all corners where you will be
able to have a beer. Kodjoviakope is a popular bar area, with a
nice bar/restaurant at Hotel Bellevue (behind the German Embassy),
and then quite a few bars just up the street. Further downtown,
there is a live jazz bar that is very popular with expats.

Sleep

There are also bars all along the beach, which are fine during
the day. At night be careful of robbers, however.

Hotels. Hotel
Bellevue has wireless internet access, and a lovely atmosphere with
a waterfall running into a small swimming pool. The food is
delicious, and it's a pleasant nice place to stay. The owners are
French, and very welcoming. There is also a small hotel called
Hotel Cote Sud, run by an older French man. The prices there are
lower, and the food is excellent.edit

Stay safe

Stay away from the beach at night. Tourists have been robbed
during the daytime as well. Don't wander around drunk after dark.
Keep your street smarts and you should be fine. Also don't let any
child wander alone. Don't leave any money around the place you are
staying at also. You want to stay as safe as possible!

Stay healthy

Drink bottled water such as Volta or sachets of "Pure Water".
Bissop juice is also fairly safe as it is boiled, and avoid the
lemonade "citron" despite its delicious aspect. Stay away from
road-side meals if possible. People relieve themselves in the
streets in Lome, so be aware of that.

Respect

Greetings are a little more elaborate in Togo. Say hello to
everyone when coming and going. Handshakes are key. Also maybe if
you try to get to know them you will fit in. Make sure you make
yourself feel like you are at home. Don't make it too homey,
though, because you don't want to get on their bad side.

Contact

Lomé has Internet cafes,
and they are cheap. You buy time by the hour (something like a
couple dollars an hour), but most of the cafes feature very slow
computers and internet connection speeds. You can buy calling cards
along the street. It is, however, much cheaper for people in the
United States to call with their calling cards to a Togo cell
phone.

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Others acivites

The Togolese enjoy many foods including tropical fruits, pastries, and many different products made from peanuts. Major drinks include tea, coffee, and wine. Togolese can often be found snacking on plantains and french donuts or beignets.